Forty countries, six months and 50,000 kilometres. It's the call of the road and journey of a lifetime that they couldn't resist. Mangaluru couple Louis, 61, and Janet D'Souza, 55, are all set to take the path less trodden. And as they cover every kilometre, two NGOs working for the underprivileged will get Rs 10.

Their only companion through the journey from Mumbai, covering 40 countries, will be their brand new BMW X5.

"We will flag off the trip on May 20 on Louis' 62nd birthday. Age shouldn't be a hurdle for anything. I believe journeys can be undertaken at any age if you have the courage, confidence and love to explore. All these years, we've had an extremely busy life with our demanding jobs, bringing up children -- daughter and son. Now it's time to rediscover ourselves together," said Janet, who was born and brought up in Mumbai.

The duo, now settled in Mangaluru, was caught up with logistics business all these years. The life-changing decision came in 2015 when they stumbled upon an article about the road adventure of Anand Baid and family who travelled for 111 days from Bengaluru to Paris, covering 12 countries.

"That was the turning point and we instantly fell in love with the idea of seeing the world in our own car. We contacted the Baid family to know more about their adventure and started research for our 'life's journey'," she said.

The two are well aware that they'll be fending for themselves, dealing with irate foreign border guards who'll be lost in translation, de-muddying the wheels of their vehicle if it gets stuck. "We will have to be prepared to pull and push our car," said Janet.

When friends and family were informed about their plan, many had questions like is it possible to drive through continents or how safe is it venturing into Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, etc. "This journey will surely challenge our comfort zone, apart from providing us with the thrill of adventure. It will help White Doves, a Mangaluru-based NGO working for the destitute, and Mumbai-based Muskan Foundation for People with Disabilities. Both the NGOs will get financial aid as they complete their journey," Louis said.